Sunshine Dreams
by Fae Gem Whiteberry
Summary: Ed reminded Roy in many ways of the sun - his eyes, his hair, his smile -, and he'd seen Ed shown in many different lights. He had never imagined betrayal to be one of them. Reposted, RoyEd, EdEnvy, rated for language and later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This is a repost of a story I had up a couple months ago. I had to take it down because I realized that the way I'd written screwed up my whole plotline. So, here lies the new version. The first few chapters aren't much different, but it does change, so yeah. I'm rambling now, so I'll stop.

Chapter 1:

Sometimes, it hurt Ed to look at Al; to see his mistakes. But he liked to pretend it didn't. For his brother's sake, he'd tell himself. And really, it was true: most things in his life were. But he refused to acknowledge his pain for his own sake, too, and that was what made him angry. So he wallowed in denial of it, both for his brother's sake and his own. Not that he'd ever admit it.

So it was surprise that the day he hugged Roy, truly held him in his arms, whispered all his secrets in the older alchemist's ear, Ed did not come out of denial. For his brother's sake, he told himself. After all, he and his brother could be ever safer if he lacked in weakness. But in that brief second before he hugged Roy, he decided that maybe, just maybe, not everything had to be done for Al. And maybe that was what Al had been trying to tell him all along.

And yet, as he resisted the urge to kiss the older man, another thought came to him: maybe he could do things for Roy's sake too. He buried his face in the crook of Roy's neck and whispered thank-yous and I'm-sorrys, and Roy held him quietly and rocked back and forth as tears streamed down the younger man's face. Ed was no longer in denial; he could no longer deny that. It was still months before he could look at Roy straight again.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Roy was not a ladies' man, and even though he didn't deny this fact, it was still not widely known. Sure, he liked their lascivious curves, soft skin and long hair, but that didn't mean he slept around. . . . Okay, so maybe he did, but that wasn't the point. The point was that people thought he couldn't commit to anyone, and that wasn't true. He could – when he wanted or needed to. And with women, he never did, and they always knew it. His longest relationships happened with men, and he found it difficult to look at anyone else when he had a loving partner right in front of him. His long term relationships weren't acknowledged, though; not because they embarrassed him or he would lose supporters – he had no reason to be embarrassed and the kind of supporters he needed wouldn't care. No, it was a simple fact that, since Ishbal, he hadn't had the time.

So it was no surprise when Ed hugged him that his first thought was, "What the fuck?" followed lazily by "mmm~~~". It took a couple minutes for the thoughts of "he's too young" and "he's my subordinate" to rise up in his mind, and he shot them down in the most brutal way possible before they ruined his moment. There would be time enough for regrets later.

But he was not in love. He told himself this because falling in love with Edward Elric was in no way, time, or universe a safe or smart thing to do. And really, denial did make the best of company. Unluckily, denial was only passing through and needed a place to stay, and when it left, the light bulb above Roy's head almost killed him with the force of its flaring. He'd shown up outside Ed's hotel room, sure to look solemn and official. When the door was answered a look of surprise bloomed across Ed's face in that way Roy decided he loved. He stepped in, closed the door, and kissed Ed so hard they had to brace themselves against the wall.

They were both really quite lucky that Al had been visiting the Hughes family and they weren't caught, because they only made it as far as the couch.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

While both Ed and Roy were lucky that Al had been with Gracia and Elysia, the boy had never been able to stay away from his brother for long, and therefore left the Hughes's residence around 10:00. He decided to walk, seeing as it was a beautiful night, and found himself back at the hotel around 11:00.

He hummed as he creaked up the stairs, rounded a corner, and opened the door. That was about as far as he got for five minutes before his mind processed the sight in front of him. In truth, the only way Roy was lucky in this situation was that Al was not quick to anger, and he and Ed still had all their clothes on. If either statement hadn't been true, Al would not have taken the time to set down the pie that Gracia had sent home with him and wonder what the best way to make the two alchemists up was.

In the end, he settled on shaking Ed's shoulder. While this did not have a positive outcome, it was taken fairly lightly. A quiet "go away" was mumbled as he turned over in Roy's arms and snuggled his back into the older man's chest. Roy responded, to Al's growing dismay, by tightening his hold and snuggling his nose into the back of Ed's neck. Al sighed a metallic sigh. He wished suddenly to both blush and become pale. Here he was, watching his brother cuddle with the object of his affections. He sighed again and turned away to tidy his brother's abandoned notes. This was both good and bad. Good, because Ed had finally taken Al's hints and gotten a life outside of him and the search for the Stone. Not that having a life surrounded by Al was particularly unpleasant, it just wasn't healthy to spend all of one's time with one other person. But Roy? Al shuddered mentally. That was not what he'd meant. He'd meant that Ed should find someone of his own age and get out and do stuff that normal teenagers did. While this was a step forward, it was a step forward onto an unseen, unsteady path, and Al found he didn't trust it.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Roy woke up to a pleasant warmth, in a comfortable bed that was neither his nor the couch he'd fallen asleep on. He rolled over and opened his eyes. The quiet dawn light lit the ceiling, which, he realized, was not the one he'd fallen asleep to. It took him a moment to remember that at some point he'd woken up and relocated himself and Edward to the bedroom. And Edward. Where was he anyway? Roy briefly had the thought to wonder why he wasn't scared. Normally when a new love left the bed before they both awoke, it meant they didn't want a relationship. But Edward wasn't normal, and that, he concluded, was why he wasn't quietly freaking out. He tossed aside the warm covers and swung his feet to the floor, shivering. Padding to the door, he peaked outside, noticing the light in the kitchen and the smell bacon. The sight that greeted him as he entered the kitchen was pleasant, to say the least. Ed stood over a steaming pan, a plate of bacon beside him and toast in the toaster. He wore only his leather pants, and his hair was up in a high pony-tail instead of its usual braid. A smile came unbidden to his lips as he snuck around the table and slipped his arms around the other man's waist, snuggling his nose into his neck. Ed welcomed the contact, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes.

"Good morning," Roy said, smiling through the fall of the Ed's hair.

"Morning," Ed purred, flipping the bacon. "Did I wake you up?"

"No." He trailed his fingers over some of Ed's less prominent scars.

Ed snorted back some laughter, pulling away to put the toast on a plate and carry it and the bacon to the table.

"If you don't eat now you'll be late. Besides, you're grumpy when you're not fed."

Roy blinked at him and briefly wondered when he'd noticed that, but shook it off and said, "I'm always late." He grabbed a plate from an open cabinet as Ed grabbed jelly and butter and a knife. They sat silently for a moment, Ed with the newspaper and Roy with his thoughts, until he cleared his throat.

Ed looked up expectantly.

Roy stalled, suddenly unsure if it was a good idea to mention this. "About last night . . ." he started.

Ed blushed and looked down, hiding behind his bangs. "What about it?" he asked, defensive.

"I'm not going to tell you it was a mistake, if that's what you're worried about. I was going to thank you for not kicking me out."

"Oh." His blush grew deeper. "Then . . . you don't think it was wrong?"

Roy frowned lightly. "No, I don't. Do you? Because if you do, I can leave."

"No!" Ed said, voice a bit too loud, suddenly panicked. He jumped up and came around the table, standing there awkwardly for a moment before continuing. "Please don't leave. I-" He struggled with himself for a moment, at odds with what he was about to say. "I slept well last night. Better than I have in a long time. And you piss me off beyond belief, but . . . "

Roy smiled and pulled the younger man over to sit on his lap.

"I know," he whispered. "Me too."

Ed "mmm"d quietly and smiled into Roy's neck. They'd hardly been sitting there for a minute before Ed's alarm went off and he grinned.

"And now you're late."

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Roy was late, leaving Ed's hotel room around 7:00, half an hour after he was supposed to be at work. He walked with Ed as far as the library, which left him, unfortunately, with five minutes to contemplate the last eleven and a half hours. It didn't take long for him to realize that his thoughts sounded like that of a teenager's. He tried to force himself to think about work, but every couple of minutes his mind turned back to Edward, and he found it nearly impossible to think about much anything else. At the office he walked through the door despondently, forlornly pouring himself a cup of coffee, before proceeding into his inner office, where he got some paperwork done. He found himself thinking about Edward every few minutes, and eventually just stopped and wondered exactly how crazy he was. In fact, now that he thought about it, everything that had recently happened seemed like a dream. Maybe Edward had hit him instead of kissing back, and everything since he woke up this morning was a hallucination. With this conclusion reached, Roy decided it would be best that he took a nap to clear his head, and to catch up on the sleep he'd lost due to being only an hour late for work. He stretched out on the couch facing the unlit fireplace and fell asleep. He dreamt of the night before, only when he closed the door to Ed's room, it sounded loud, and suspiciously like someone taking the safety off a gun. Which it probably was. He opened his eyes, slowly, and stared into the barrel of Riza's favorite.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"You should not be sleeping, sir. I'm sure your superiors would be displeased if you could not do your paperwork," she said. She put the safety back on her gun and slid it into the holster at her hip.

"I'm sure. Five more minutes?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. These documents are urgent."

Roy sighed and sat up, stretching, and rubbed at his eyes. "Are you sure I can't take just a small nap?" he asked, knowing full well that he already had.

"You've been asleep for an hour. I think you've rested enough."

Sighing again, he got up and sat back in the chair behind his desk. Riza set the papers in front of him and he picked up his pen and started reading. He'd just finished reading the third line for the tenth time when the door banged open. An uneven stride marched up to his desk, and mismatched hands slammed into it, deepening the dent that Ed's automail hand had made over time.

"May I help you?" he asked, his mask safely in place.

Ed looked at him through his bangs, looking helpless, and whispered, "Last night. It happened, right?"

Roy's mask slipped a bit, and something nervous showed through. "I hope so. Joint hallucinations aren't exactly healthy."

Ed frowned at him, then grinned and spoke at normal volume, "These arrays are pathetic! The guy based his theory off of pure myth, and they won't even activate." He flopped down on the couch, smiling, and said, "Couldn't you have given me something else?"

Roy smiled back.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the lack of updating. Been busy lately. I'll try to have another chapter up around Christmas, as a present. Happy Christmas, Solstice, Hanukah, etc.

Chapter 6:

It was a couple weeks before the rest of the office was sure. They decided not to tell Armstrong, considering his emotional nature, and when they mentioned it to Hughes, he simply laughed and said, "You only just noticed?"

And so it was that Riza began to lay out "The Rules." She watched them carefully from the background, quiet and attentive. She noticed first that they were softer towards each other, and touched more often. From this she compiled the first rule.

1. Do not touch. Remember to pretend.

One day, as she watched them leave the premises together, she noticed the whispers and turned heads and began to worry.

2. Do not leave together.

But as they became more comfortable with each other, and more confident with their relationship, they became more daring. She wrote the third rule as a safeguard for both their reputations and the office's minds.

3. No kissing in the office.

Bringing papers to Roy's inner office was something she did often, which was why she overheard them talking about a Friday night date.

4. Do not speak of personal matters in the office.

5. Do not take dates in unorthodox or military frequented areas.

It was after she found Feury, bright red and braced against the door to the inner office, that she amended the third rule.

3. No kissing in the office. Absolutely no sexual activity in the office under any circumstances.

She read her rules a couple of times and found them good, adding only one thing.

Note: "Office" should be read "in or around military facilities."

She put it through the typewriter and slipped it into the stack of paperwork he would find when he got in.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	7. Chapter 7

I feel absolutely terrible for not updating as planned, even though it is a slightly longer chapter. The entireties of my mental villages have been raped and pillaged by a sickness, and the plot bunnies have hated my lately. So, no more excuses, here's the next chapter. Hopefully I'll have some more up soon.

Chapter 7:

It was 6:30 that Riza put The Rules in Roy's office. He didn't arrive till around 8:00, and didn't call her into his office till 8:27. Not that anyone was counting.

"You asked for me, sir?"

"Yes. Would you like to explain to me, Lieutenant, what this is?" He brandished The Rules like evidence that she had murdered in cold blood.

"It is the last security report, sir."

"Yes, I'm aware. Would you like to explain to me why they were presented in such a way?"

"It was just something we'd noticed, sir."

Roy smiled, his eyes dark but his gaze light. "Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant, but it is unnecessary. The problem has already been taken care of."

She nodded. "We just wanted to be sure, sir."

He waved a hand and she went back to her desk. It was as close to an actual thank you as she was going to get, but it was enough.

Slowly, the office filled, the coffee pot was emptied and restarted, the clock on the wall ticking off seconds. Roy found it unnaturally hard to not work, and his "to do" pile quickly turned into a "finished" stack. Riza came in after a while to file the reports and give him new ones, suspicious when she found he'd finished them all. But she let it go when she saw everything was in her hands and left him to his work. They quickly fell into a busy silence, punctuated only by Feury's tinkering with a broken radio and Falman's mutterings until, a couple hours later, a knock sounded on the door and Al's metal head popped into the office. Riza looked up from the gun she was cleaning and frowned.

"Good morning, Alphonse. Is something wrong?"

Al shuffled into the office and hunched his shoulders, saying, "I don't really know. I just can't find Brother. I looked in the library, by the river, in the dorm. I called all his favorite restaurants, even. I can't find him anywhere."

Riza looked appropriately worried, given Ed's tendency to attract trouble and not notify anyone, and said, "Did something happen?"

"Um . . ." Al shuffled some more. "We did have a fight."

She nodded and smiled. "I'm sure he'll turn up soon," she said.

"But . . ."

"How about this," Roy said from the open door of his inner office. "If he isn't around in an hour to report, we'll send someone to find him."

"Alright," Al said hesitantly, then, "Do you mind if I stay and read?"

Roy found himself quickly slipping farther and farther from the concentration he'd held earlier. He'd listened to Riza greet Al with a "Good morning," but really, it had been almost noon, and Al's worries had echoed right through his open office door and into his head. All his concerns were likely irrational, he knew, but Ed was known for being an agent of disaster, willing or not. As the minute hand slid past the half hour he wondered furiously why he had to go and fall in love with Ed, of all people.

He paused in his musings, something tickling at the back of his head, and reviewed his thought. Love? Did he love Edward? He was someone to turn to, someone he shared nightmares and dreams with, yes. But love?

He was startled from his musings yet again when the phone rang loudly. He stared at it dumbly for a moment before shaking his head and lifting it from the receiver and greeting with, "Colonel Mustang."

There was silence on the other end of the line before a young feminine voice said, "Um, good morning, sir. I was wondering . . . You wouldn't happen to be the Fullmetal Alchemist's superior officer, would you?"

Roy frowned, all his worries rushing back to him. "Yes. Is there something wrong?"

"Well . . ." The girl paused, sounding unsure, then said, "Not quite. You see, he's been brooding in a corner for the past hour or two, and it's making me a bit nervous. He's normally much happier than this, and it seems he may need some help brightening up.

Roy wondered briefly at her apparent familiarity with his – here he struggled to come up with a proper descriptive word for Ed and failed, deciding to leave it be – but let it go, deeming it a matter for other times.

"Of course. May I ask your location?"

"The White Lion, on the Eastern side of the city."

"I'll be right there then. Just don't let him know I'm coming and everything will be fine."

Roy was out the door in the next five minutes, and Riza drove him to the White Lion, quiet the whole time. When she pulled in front of the café, however, she put the car in park and locked the doors. She adjusted the mirror and looked at him in the rear view mirror threateningly.

"I'll wait right here, and you'll be back very soon, without any collateral damage, or I'll be sure to make consequences." As she said this, her hand hovered nearer her gun.

Roy almost rolled his eyes, but thought better of it and nodded, hearing the door unlock.

From outside, the café was a small, corner of the city place, but on the inside, it was much bigger than it looked. The high walls were grafitied artfully with dragons, tigers, dolphins, unicorns – any and every animal one could think of, and then more. Even the chimeras, which would have been fearsome in person, looked exquisite and beautiful. On the back wall, behind the bar, a beautiful white lion sat beneath a Cherry tree. It's roots spread out and blended into the roots of nearly twenty other trees around it, creating a circular grove around the entirety of the room. The floor space was mostly taken by a large communal table in the center, where many people sat and talked, did homework, and played card games. Several plush chairs interspersed with small tables cluttered the edge of the room. It looked like the place had been designed for comfort and homeliness, but he could also tell that this wasn't something that could be planned.

The people conversing at the communal table ranged from one age and social group to another, everything on both sides of the scale and in between, but none of them were Edward, so he walked around it to the bar. A young man with white hair and black clothes that were almost as much cloth as metal greeted him. His face had almost as much metal as his clothes, and, from what he could see, his body as much ink as the painting behind him, and Roy decided that Ed kept strange company.

The man, his name Spike, according to his nametag (Roy found the name appropriate, considering the circumstances) opened his mouth to greet him, but was cut off when a girl with electric blue hair and a too-short skirt bounced up to the counter and said, "You must be Colonel Mustang. Nice to meet you."

Very strange company.

"April, what are you-" the girl cut Spike off again with, "I'm Kat. Ed's over there."

She pointed to a dark corner that he couldn't actually see the contents of, and he thanked her and strolled towards it. As he neared, his eyes adjusted, and he saw Ed, hunched over a table, a cup of coffee resting near one hand and a book in the other. Roy wondered idly how the man could read without any light, but decided that asking him at this moment would not put him in the other man's good graces.

"Edward," he said by way of greeting, sitting in a chair across from him.

There was no sign that he'd been heard, and a long suffering sigh escaped his lips unbidden.

"I heard you had a fight with Alphonse."

Ed looked up at him, a furious glare pulling his entire face down, and said, "Screw off, Roy."

Roy frowned, hurt. "Ed, please tell me what's wrong. I don't like to see you so unhappy."

Ed huffed and let the book slide from his hand, making a small thunk as it eased onto the table. He dropped his face into his hand, staying silent for a moment, then ran his fingers through his hair restlessly.

"It was just a fight," he said eventually.

"If it were just a fight," Roy said quietly into the soft darkness, "you wouldn't be this torn up about it, and he wouldn't be worried sick."

Ed's eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent.

"What were you fighting about, Ed?"

Another murderous gaze was turned Mustang's way, but he complied.

"He wants me to take a vacation. Find something outside the stone."

"And?"

"And I can't tell him that I already have."

Roy frowned for the umpteenth time. "Why not?"

Ed stayed silent, a deep-seated fear creeping into his eyes that made Roy uncomfortable and jumpy.

"Alphonse is trustworthy, Ed. He wouldn't tell anyone."

"I know that, I just . . ."

They were both silent, Ed searching for the right words and Roy waiting for him.

"I don't think he'd approve. Of any part of it or the implications."

Roy smiled despite himself.

"Edward, are you worried that Alphonse won't love you if he finds out you're gay?'

Ed nodded and bent further into himself, and Roy watched with horror as a tear escaped from his eye.

"Edward, look at me." Roy reached across the table and tilted Ed's chin up, wiping away the tear with his thumb. "Alphonse will always love you, no matter what."

"How would you know?"

"Did he love you after the incident with the alchemy?"

A grudging nod.

"Did he love you and stick beside you through and after every assignment, adventure, and disaster you two have been through?"

Another nod.

"And he hasn't ever treated you any different for any of your decisions."

There was a pause, where a third nod was not issued, but was followed by a quiet, "Not really."

"Then what makes you think he'd stop loving you for something like this?" Roy pulled his hand back, feeling bereft at the subtle loss of warmth, and folded his arms across his chest. His hands itched to hold Ed, to comfort him more, but he knew it wasn't something he could afford anyone seeing. He silently ignored the fact that he'd already taken that risk, instead sighing and saying, "Come on. Alphonse is waiting for us at the office, loving you no less than he did when you were children.

Ed got up slowly and waved to Spike and Kat and several other people about the room. As they pushed through the door, there was a tug on his sleeve and he turned around.

"Thank you," Ed said, brushing his fingers against Roy's, then slipped out past the older man and opened the car door.

Roy smiled and followed after him. This sadness, it wouldn't last, and when it did end, they would be nothing but happy.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter. Although if you notice anything grammar- or spelling-wise, please tell me. I typed this up pretty late at night and could've missed anything.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	8. Chapter 8

Yay! This update is on time! That makes me infinitely more happy than I was earlier today. Special thanks to BeautifulFiction for updating her fic The Saffron Soul. It helped put me in the mood to finish the next three chapters. But anyway, here's your chapter.

Chapter 8:

When Roy and Ed moved in with each other, everyone was surprised, especially Roy and Ed. Apparently, though, the Fuhrer was just crazy enough to make stupid decisions that benefited them, so there was only enough complaining and alchemical "accidents" to keep from looking suspicious. Complaints like, "Stupid fucking Fuhrer. Thought it'd be a good idea to put alchemists in pairs like this." Indeed, all state alchemists had been forced to move in with another, and it was supposed to tactically be a good idea. Even that was questionable. Roy's only consolation had been, "At least he didn't put you with Armstrong." At this they had both paused in their work to shudder slightly at the thought. In the end, the only thing that changed was how many books Roy had to worry about fitting onto his shelves and how much they each paid for bills, which were shared. Their new living arrangements presented only one problem: Alphonse. Their conversation about said problem went like this:

Roy watched happily as Ed made a picture of himself on the couch, dirty feet flung over the edge and a hand over his face to keep the sun out of his eyes. That same sun turned his hair to molten gold as it flowed over the side of the couch, released from its braid to relieve a tension headache. He lay on his back, the hem of his shirt riding up, and tried not to fall asleep in the midsummer warmth. This made Roy think of Al's favorite admonishment of him ("Don't sleep with your stomach out, Brother. You'll catch cold.") and Roy frowned at the thought.

"Edward," he began, pushing aside the young man's hair so he could sit with his cup of coffee. A sleepy sound of question was made.

"Where is Alphonse?"

Ed shrugged and said, "He's visiting Winry in Risembool. He'll be back in a day or two."

Roy nodded and took a sip of his coffee, then said, "And what are you going to tell him when he does come back?"

At this Ed stiffened and rolled to face the back of the couch, picking at loose fibers.

"Dunno," he said sullenly. "I'll think of something."

Roy sighed, exasperated. "Edward, this talk you need to have with Alphonse isn't going to go away. And he's still not going to love you any less."

"I know that." Ed rolled back over and onto his feet, pacing in front of the coffee table. "It just . . . hasn't come up yet."

Roy made a small sound of disbelief, then of complaint as Ed stole his coffee and downed it. He followed him into the kitchen, where he sat down at the table as Ed poured him another cup of coffee.

"What's for dinner?" he asked as the cup was slid across the table.

Roy frowned. "I thought it was your turn to cook?"

"Oh no," Ed said as he got up again. "I make breakfast. You make dinner. That was the agreement." He poured himself some coffee and was on his way out of the kitchen when Roy said, "I don't remember this agreement."

"It was unspoken." Ed was already back in the living room, pulling to him the arrays he'd dropped on the coffee table when he first came in.

Roy rolled his eyes, but turned to see what they had in the fridge anyway.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter. I think I spelled Risembool wrong, and if I did tell me and I'll fix it.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	9. Chapter 9

So, I realized a bit too late that I didn't put in all the pairings. This is a RoyEd, later kind of maybe but no really only not really sort of but actually in a weird way Edvy, even later RoyEd again. You have been warned. If that's not something you like, I'm sorry. I'd really appreciate it if you stuck around and read the rest, but I'll understand if you don't.

Chapter 9:

As time passed, Al's importance began to even out with Roy's, and the search for the stone was laced with light joking and passionate nights and an understanding and love the likes of which Ed had never found in anyone else. The talk he and Al needed to have – _about, "I'm gay, do you still love me?" and "I love the colonel like no one I've known in my entire life, because it's so different than how I love you but no more."_ – was had. It was short and staggered, and just what was needed to take the perpetually worried and troubled look out of Edward's eyes. They settled into as much of a routine as they could, what with Ed being gone so much and Roy so close to his next promotion. And then one day, it happened.

"You're slacking, O'Chibi-san! It's ruining my fun." Currently one of Envy's favorite taunts, it just made Ed feel more world-weary.

"I'd be sorry, but I don't care," Ed shot back, throwing a kick that Envy easily dodged.

"Aw, did the shrimp have a fight with his boyfriend again?"

Ed growled and put more force in his next punch, which caught Envy square in the jaw. The humunculus jumped back and worked his aching jaw a bit, grinning. "There's the force I remember. I was beginning to think it was gone for good."

Ed narrowed his eyes. "What do you care, anyway?"

"Don't you listen? It's ruining my fun. I thought everything was perfect in love-land. If it's affecting you this much you should talk to someone about it."

It was said matter-of-factly, but there was an almost mocking, almost caring tone behind it that made Ed stop. It was almost as if the sin . . . no, that wasn't possible. Right?

And it kept happening. And at some point, they stopped to talk more, and Envy was more playful, and Ed saw him for more than the monster created with the body of his bastard-father's first son. He wondered how he had spent so much time with this man over the years and still knew almost nothing about him, and Envy wondered at how he had never realized how much he loved Ed's brilliance, and passion, and color. But all good things come to an end, some sooner than others.

Good? Bad? Thoughts and flames are more than welcome, but thoughtless flames will be used to keep warm in the winter.

I disclaim all characters, the anime and manga, and so on so forth.


	10. Chapter 10

Yay! Finally updating! It took all summer for my dad to get to fixing my computer, and it only took him one day to actually fix it. I'm soooooo sorry for the wait. I present to you with the long awaited chapter ten.

Chapter 10:

Roy's office door slammed open, accompanied by, "You bastard!"

Roy started from his half-sleeping state on top of his paperwork and blinked up at the raging alchemist standing in front of his desk. "Ed?"

"You lying, cheating, bastard! I just wasn't enough, was I?"

Now he was entirely awake, and entirely too confused. "Edward, what are you talking about?"

Ed slapped his hands into the desk between them, fuming, and said, "You thought I wouldn't notice? That I would find out?"

"Ed, please, calm down. I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Ed leaned forward with a deep scowl on his face, obviously anything but calm. "You can't say you don't know what I'm talking about, I saw you with him, and after I beat the shit out of you, I'm going to request a transfer."

Roy gaped as the other alchemist stormed out of his office, the only sound his boots as they pounded through the outer office and down the hall. Just as his mind caught up with what Ed had said, Riza came into his office, furious but kind.

"No offense intended, sir, but you're both idiots, and you should go after him."

Roy nodded and dashed out the door and down the hall. Ed would be almost to the parade grounds now, and if he didn't hurry, he'd miss him.

He was lucky it was late and he and Riza were two of the only people left in the building; the sight of him flying out the double doors and down the steps would have earned him strange looks and rumors. He had barely a second to have the thought before he saw Ed's braid disappear around the corner of the perimeter.

Roy felt his feet pound in time with his heart as he crossed the parade ground and scanned the streets, looking for any sign of his young lover. There, not far ahead, was Edward, his head bent against someone's shoulder, his own trembling quietly.

And suddenly Roy was furious. Not with Ed, though that wasn't a difficult task. No, it was the man – _sin_ – who held him, grinned evilly over the blond's head, that angered Roy more than many things in his life had. He yelled out, angered and desperate, because if Ed was taking comfort in that thing, then something was very obviously wrong, and while he knew words came out, all he heard from his own mouth was an enraged scream.

Edward looked back, a deep sadness and something painfully similar to heartbreak and guilt marring the depths of his eyes, but instead of turning back around, he pulled away from Envy and crossed the street, disappearing down an ally. The sin grinned at him again before following.

. . . Please don't eat me? I promise everything works itself out. Eventually. The bit about thoughtless flames applies to this chapter, as well.

Disclaimed.


End file.
